Mother of the Gods
by Niti
Summary: When SG-1 comes across an ancient sealed sarcophagus that contains the body of the Goa’uld Queen Mother, who appears to have betrayed her own people, do they allow her to awaken? And if so, is she really the betrayer of the Goa’uld… or is it all a hoax?
1. Default Chapter

Mother of the Gods

The radio on Colonel Jack O'Neill's chest came to life with a short, static burst.

"Sir, I think we've got something over here!"

This was not an unusual phrase that issued from the radio. There was always something or another on each planet they Gated to that drew Major Carter's attention. Jack, in his usual fashion, rolled his eyes and prepared himself for the barrage of techno-babble that he was certain would follow. He grabbed the small device and pressed the transmit button.

"What is it?" he asked. Silence followed for a few, short moments before Daniel's voice came across.

"It looks like a sarcophagus that's been welded shut somehow," he began. "It' covered in an ancient dialect of Goa'uld. I can't quite make it out, but it seems to be alluding to something- or someone- being trapped in it." Jack grimaced.

"Well, don't open it," he ordered. "I'm on my way. See if you can't figure out what's in there."

"Aye, sir," Carter responded. "Carter, out."

The radio went silent, and Jack turned around to look at Teal'c, who was just behind him. Jack shrugged helplessly and motioned for the big man to follow, which he did wordlessly, brandishing his staff weapon. Meandering through the trees, they slowly made their way towards the site. They walked through the sun- dappled forest until they came upon a small field, in the center of which was a ring of stone pillars that were crumbling. On a pedestal inside the ring was, sure enough, a sarcophagus device. Daniel was hovering about the thing with his nose almost touching the intricate, but faded engravings. Major Carter was studying the lid, her fingers tracing a line up the center.

"So," Jack said, "what's in it, Daniel?" Dr. Jackson's head came up in surprise, and he stared at Jack and Teal'c for a moment before his senses returned.

"Oh, well," he began, "the writing seems to be a curse of some kind, designed to keep whoever is in the sarcophagus…" He began to orbit the box again. "Right here it says, 'The LawBreaker is punished, sentenced to an Eternity away from the Light of Ra.' " Daniel pointed at a set of carvings on the left side of the lid. "The words 'Betrayer' and 'Traitor' appear a lot, as well. But there's no name, save Ra's." He looked up at Jack. "No name to tell us who is trapped inside."

"He thinks it's another Goa'uld," Major Carter interjected. "A Goa'uld who defied Ra and, as punishment, was sealed into the sarcophagus."

"I'd like a little bit more time to translate it, if you don't mind," Daniel interjected. "Maybe whomever is in here could… help us against the Goa'uld." Jack's eye narrowd at the prospect.

"No, Daniel," he stated. "I don't trust anything that's got a snake in its head, I don't care if it killed another Goa'uld! A snake in the head is a snake in the head, no matter how you look at it." Major Carter tilted her head off to the side, questioningly.

"But you trust the Tok'ra," she added. Jack raised a finger and shook his head.

"I do not trust the Tok'ra," he corrected. "I cooperate when necessary, that's it." Daniel walked around the sarcophagus and stood in front of Jack, his arms crossed, an irritated glint in his eye.

"I said I never saw a name, Jack," he told the colonel pointedly. "I didn't say I never found anything that could help us identify who was in it." Caught up in his own thoughts, Daniel turned around and went back to hovering around the device. "There are a couple of references here to 'The Dark Mother' and 'The Lady of the Sky.' Now, the only goddess I can think of that both of those phrases would refer to is Nut, the Egyptian Mother Goddess. She was the wife of Geb, the Earth God. Now according to the legends, Nut was unable to bear children on any day of the year because Ra placed a spell on her. Thoth, taking pity on her, took starlight and spun it into 5 more days. She bore one child on each of those 5 days: Osiris, Isis, Nephthys, Seth, and Hathor." Daniel looked around as realization settled in. "Guys, the Goa'uld in this box is the Mother of all Goa'uld. It is from her that all Goa'uld are descended.

Teal'c seemed to be the only one unaffected by the news. "If this is the case, Daniel Jackson," he began. "would it not be prudent to destroy the sarcophagus and prevent such a being from rising?" Jack nodded in agreement.

"What he said," he added. Daniel shook his head.

"Don't you see?" he asked. "This is the opportunity of a lifetime! Ra obviously sealed her in here for a reason. The sarcophagus probably hasn't been functional in centuries, anyways."

"So you're saying she's dead in there?" Carter queried.

"In all likeliness, yes," Daniel answered. "But, if we take her back to the SGC, we could study her. Surely, whatever remains of her body, we can experiment with. We may be able to discover a way to get rid of the Goa'uld for good! There has to be something locked into her remains that could be of some use to us." Carter looked nervously up at Jack.

"I hate to admit it, sir, but Daniel has a point," she conceded. "If anything, we could give her to the Tok'ra. I'm certain they, at least, could discover something useful." Jack, beginning to feel outnumbered, looked towards Teal'c for backup. The big man, however, seemed to have succumbed to the madness that obviously gripped Daniel and Carter.

"Although I have my misgivings," Teal'c stated, inclining his head, "I am forced to agree with Daniel Jackson and Major Carter. There may be some hidden benefit in giving her to the Tok'ra." Jack snorted derisively.

"You guys are all nuts!" he exclaimed. "There is no way we are brining a dead Gao'uld, no matter how useful she may prove to be, though the Stargate! And that's final!"

Jack rolled his eyes and watched as Teal'c and Carter guided the MALP, dragging the huge sarcophagus behind it, down the ramp leading from the Stargate.

"I still think you're all crazy," Jack stated to no one in particular. Everyone, of course, ignored him, concentrating on the task at hand. General Hammond appeared in the gate room moments later, a surprised look on his face.

"What's this?" he asked, bewildered.

"Well, we believe it's the body of the Goa'uld Queen Mother," Daniel explained. "We we're going to give her to the Tok'ra, so they could run some tests on her and see if we can't come up with some useful information to use against the Goa'uld." General Hammond's eyes widened in shock at the news.

"Do you really think its wise to bring the Goa'uld Queen Mother here?" he asked.

"Well, sir," Carter began, "according to the inscriptions on the lid, she was locked in the sarcophagus as punishment for defying Ra. Whatever was powering it failed, and she died."

"Horrible way to go," Jack interjected, looking meaningfully at Hammond.

"Indeed," the General agreed. "We'll call the Tok'ra immediately…"

Suddenly, the MALP, and the sarcophagus, began to shake violently, throwing Daniel and Carter aside like rag dolls.

"What's going on?" Jack shouted.

"I don't know," Daniel replied. Carter stood and pointed at the MALP.

"The sarcophagus! Its reactivating!" she screamed.

All eyes turned to the device on the ramp. Blinding light seared the seals on the lid. The whole room shook as though an earthquake threatened to sink the mountain facility into the ground. Energy crackled across the inactive Stargate and arced in clean lines towards the sarcophagus.

"It's the Stargate!" Carter yelled. "The sarcophagus is somehow drawing the residual power left in the capacitors!"

The sarcophagus begin to glow brightly as the electricity rebounded off of the metal. Slowly, the lid began to open, shedding brilliant light upwards. As the lid parted, however, the room began to stop shaking. By the time the lid was fully ajar, everyone was able to maintain their balance. But no one dared move closer to the Goa'uld healing device.

With a shuddering gasp, a woman sat bolt upright in the sarcophagus, gripping the sides of her prison with jewel-bedecked fingers. The woman was beautiful, with long, flowing black hair that fell in a dark waterfall down her back. Her skin was pale, like marble, and her features flawless. With a look of dread in her vibrant violet eyes, she clawed her way out of the sarcophagus, landing unceremoniously on her hands and knees. She crawled away from it as fast as she could and huddled herself into a corner of the room, looking fearfully at the box, breathing heavily.

"_Ki'vah!_" she yelled, her voice that odd, double- layered tone of the Goa'uld. "_Nos vitras kal mik!_"

Daniel looked over at Teal'c, who was staring at the woman with barely veiled curiosity. "What did she say?" Daniel asked. Teal'c regarded him with a level gaze.

"She says that the Betrayer will pay," he answered. Carter looked at Teal'c in confusion.

"But I thought the sarcophagus said that she was the Betrayer," she remarked.

"It did," Daniel stated. "But she was a Betrayer to the Goa'uld. To Ra. Maybe she was the one who was betrayed, and took the fall for someone else." All eyes turned to the dark-haired woman. The Goa'uld woman locked gazes with Teal'c and, finding courage, stood. She stood as tall as Jack, and had an air of regality about her.

"_Jaffa!_" she yelled in a commanding tone. "_Where is the one called Ra?_ _Tell him that the Dark Mother has risen to take her revenge!_"

To be continued…


	2. Dark Mother

Chapter 2: The Lady of the Sky

Daniel was the first to step forward and speak.

"Ah, ma'am," he began, uncertainly, "Ra is dead." The woman's eyes widened at the news.

"_And who was it who stole my revenge from me?_" she hissed, dangerously. Daniel held his hands out to her, trying to de-escalate the potential violent situation.

"Well, we did, Dark Mother," he told her blandly. "Of course, had we known that you were lying in wait to… enact your revenge, we would have gladly captured him and awaited your return."

The angry light in the woman's eyes seemed to vanish, and was replaced by a mischievous glitter.

"_You have done me a service, then_," she stated. "_Had you but known of my plight, I'm certain you would have done as you have said._" Arrogantly, she tossed a handful of her dark locks over her shoulder. "_It is of little importance now. What matters now is that I am awake and aware and ready to take my place amongst my children again. You may address me as Nut. Now, tell me where I may find my beloved sons and daughters. I wish to bask in the light of their love._"

"Ah, Nut," Daniel continued, "you see, there's where we run into a problem. Can you tell me where you are? And what year it is? I suspect you have been in that coffin for many centuries. Things have changed drastically since your… wrongful imprisonment." Nut, clearly becoming rapidly bored with the situation, waved her hand negligently at him.

"_Ra is gone, which means I can rise to my rightful spot as Queen of the Gods, and rule them as a good mother should,_" she intoned. "_I must also contact the other members of the Alliance._" With these words, she slowly walked towards the Stargate. "_I must have a full report of the state of affairs in the galaxy, and my host will want to speak with her family, no doubt._" This time, it was Jack who spoke up.

"Look here, lady," he said, "I know you've been locked in a box for the past God knows how long, so you're a little out of the loop when it comes to news. I'll fill ya in: Ra is dead. So is Hathor. And Seth. And Isis… but that one wasn't our fault. She was dead when we found her." He stepped towards the Goa'uld queen, who had a look of horror spreading across her beautiful features. "The Ancients are dead. The Asgard are fighting a war they can't win against machines who have only one thought, and that is to replicate, the Nox are pacifists, and we haven't had any contact with the Furlings. Your children made it a habit to enslave people and take them as hosts against their will. They transported people from this planet to other worlds and treated them like playthings!"

Nut, clearly shocked by this news, stumbled back a few steps. "_No!_" she shouted. "_It cannot be! My children… they have all betrayed me!_" She peered around the room with frightened eyes. "_I formed the alliance with the Ancients to spare my children from a horrible fate! Yes, we must take hosts to survive, but the Ancients had agreed to a symbiotic relationship with my children!_ _And they have destroyed the peace I fought so hard for so many years to achieve!_" Tears glittered in her eyes and spilled in crystal rivers down her cheeks. "_My host gave her body for this cause! She agreed to share her body with me so that we may finally have peace! And it was all for naught!_" Stricken with the horrible truth, Nut fell to the ground, sobbing bitterly. As she cried, the timbre of her voice changed, and soon, it was only once voice mourning.

"Why?" the host begged. "Why couldn't they honor their agreement? Why couldn't they see the benefits of our alliance?" Daniel, unable to bear the sight of the broken woman, went to her and cradled her in his arms.

"Hush, now, its all right," he crooned. "You have your life. You can still effect change."

Slowly, her sobbing subsided to sniffles. With Daniel's help, she made it to her feet where she looked at the team with eyes that were no longer a burning violet, but a soft blue.

"I am called Maera," she introduced herself. "I am Nut's host. And if what you say is true, I am the last of the Ancients." And without a word, her eyes rolled back into her head and she slumped heavily against Daniel, unconscious.

After they got Maera safely to the infirmary and under the care of Dr. Frazier, SG-1 met with General Hammond in the debriefing room.

"This woman is the last of the Ancients?" the general asked. "And a Goa'uld host?"

"Willingly, if what she says is true," Sam added with a slight shrug. "There's really no way to tell at this point in time."

"And not just any Goa'uld, but a Queen," Daniel interjected. "Quite possibly the forerunner of the whole Goa'uld race." The general looked pensive.

"Well, we'll have to verify her story before we let her anywhere else in the base," he stated. "Colonel O'Neill, see if you can't get in touch with the Asgard. Surely they would know of an alliance of this nature." Jack smirked and sat back in his chair.

"One step ahead of ya, sir," he stated.

"We should also contact the Tok'ra," Teal'c interjected. "If her story is true, then the Tok'ra may have a new queen. Her sympathies do seem to lie in that direction."

"Now wait just a second here, folks," Jack interrupted. "Let's not go handing her off to the Tok'ra before we find out what's going on with her first. I think we should wait to tell them until Thor gets here."

A bright blue light and a buzzing noise burst into the room and dissipated, leaving the form of Thor in his big chair sitting at the end of the table.

"You wished to see me, O'Neill?" the little grey alien asked. Jack, naturally, perked up at the sight of his little friend.

"Thor! Buddy!" he greeted. "How have things been? You manage to smash the replicators yet?" Thor looked at Jack, and it seemed like annoyance was glinting in his huge, black eyes.

"I hope you have not asked me out here for small talk, O'Neill," Thor warned. Jack grimaced and sat back in his chair.

"Actually, Thor," Sam spoke up, "We wanted to know about the Alliance. Was there ever a Goa'uld alliance with the Ancients a long time ago?" Thor turned his curious gaze towards the major and nodded once.

"Yes, Major Carter," he verified. "Once, a long time ago, an Ancient woman named Maera and the Goa'uld Mother Nut blended. Maera was the daughter of the Lord of the Ancients. I believe you would call her a 'princess.' Her father did not believe that much good would come of the alliance, but he could not prevent his daughter, who was the Ancients' emissary to the Goa'uld System Lords, from striking the bargain. There were benefits to be had, and the System Lords were, at first, willing to abide by the laws established in the treaty." He shook his head, almost sorrowfully. "Unfortunately, Ra came into power shortly thereafter. He imprisoned the Goa'uld Nut and took her throne for his own. She was never heard form again, ad no one knows what Ra did with her body." Daniel sat up and leaned against the table.

"Well, we may have some good news there," he stated. "We found her. Nut. And Maera. Together. Alive. And she's here."

"Please," Thor asked. "Take me to her."

Thor stood next to the gurney where Nut/Maera was resting and reached out a slim, grey hand, placing it on her forehead.

"This is indeed Maera," he told them. "We are fortunate that you found her before the Goa'uld could. They would have surely destroyed her."

"Well, now we know she was telling the truth," Jack commented. "Question is: what do we do with her now?"

"Well, she is an Ancient, sir," Carter said. "And Teal'c was right. She does have interests that lie with the Tok'ra. Maybe she'll ally herself with us. She'll be a great help." General Hammond nodded solemnly.

"We'll wait until she wakes up and can move about before we pose any difficult questions to her," he states. "She has been through quite a tough time. Let her rest for the time being."

Slowly, everyone filed out of the medbay. After they were gone, Nut opened her eyes.

She had a plan. And these people would fit into it perfectly.

To be continued…


End file.
